Blood red love
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‘First, I want to get married to you,‘ she said. Vidar smiled in the darkness.
‘I want that too, that’s why I proposed and gave you that ring,‘ he told her. She poked him in
the ribs.
‘Funny. I mean I don’t want to wait or drag it out. I don’t need a big wedding, just our family and closest friends. If we hurry, maybe your parents can stay in the states until then.‘
‘Why the hurry?‘ he asked. Vidar wasn’t opposed to the idea, he had been ready to make her his wife from the moment he told her who he was. But he wanted to make sure she didn’t feel pressured into jumping into something she wasn’t ready for.
‘I don’t want this to be something we put off because we have so much time and then something happens and we miss our chance.”
‘You are scared of losing me?‘ he asked.
‘Of course I am. You are my person, Vidar. The one who is the centre of my world. And maybe this whole thing has made me realise that you aren’t immortal. I just don’t want this to be something we don’t get to do. I want to be your wife,‘ she told him. Vidar understood what she was telling him. When he thought about it, he felt the same.
‘I think that is a good idea. We will make it happen as soon as possible. But I still want you to take Lilly and anyone else you want and go shopping for a dress. We can have Henry catering and we’ll get some cute suits for the twins and they can be your flower boys,‘ he insisted. Vidar felt Charlie smile and she placed a k*ss on his chest.
“Thank you, I think that sounds amazing. I think we can get Jenni to supply the alcohol,‘ she
added.
“That’s a good idea. I don’t get why people get stressed planning a wedding. This is easy,‘ he
said. Charlie giggled.
‘I don’t think everyone knows people that can get things fixed for them. We are lucky.”
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“We are,‘ he agreed.
‘That takes care of the first thing,‘ she linked. Then there was a pause.
‘Charlie?‘ he had to ask.
‘I don’t know how to say it,‘ she told him. She sounded sad and Vidar instinctively pulled her
even closer.
*You can tell me anything, lilla lo.”
“When Caine was hurt he told me something and I think we need to let him go,‘ she said and
Vidar’s insides turned freezing cold.
“What do you mean?‘ he asked.
“He wants to become independent, to learn who he is. But he doesn’t know how and he won’t be able to do what he needs to do unless we help him.‘ There was another pause as Charlie. tried to form her thoughts and Vidar tried to wrap his head around what she had told him. How many times hadn’t he suggested to Caine that he would set off on his own? Vidar had offered him properties, money, companies, everything he would need, half of what Vidar owned. In Vidar’s mind Caine had contributed just as much as Vidar had in building what he had. But Caine had always refused. Saying he didn’t want anything else than to continue as they always had. But Caine had changed. Vidar had seen it since Charlie had come into their
lives.
“That’s why he turned our offer down?‘ Vidar asked.
“Yes,‘ Charlie confirmed. Vidar could see why. It was easy now he was looking back. If Caine had accepted their roles would be set. Not because Vidar or Charlie saw him as less, but because it was the roles they had stepped into. Vidar’s heart broke for his friend when he realised how much he probably wanted to say yes, but at the same time had the insight to say
no. “He doesn’t want a relationship between the three of us to include him as a spare,‘ Charlie
said.
“He would never be that,‘ Vidar objected.
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‘No he wouldn’t, she agreed. ‘But he would feel like he was, and that would be just as bad.”
‘You are right. But what can we do?‘ Vidar asked.
‘He needs to find out who he is, find his own way. He can’t do that when he is around us,”
said.
she
‘Around me,‘ Vidar corrected her.
‘It’s not just you. It’s how he sees himself in relation to both of us. He needs to be free to define himself without comparing himself to anyone else. We need to give him that because. we both love him and we just have to hope he will return when he knows who he is.‘
And if he doesn’t?‘ Vidar asked.
“Then at least he will be happy, and that is better than how it is now,‘ she said. Vidar thought
about it. Charlie was right. It would be cruel to tie Caine to them if he wanted to try his own.
wings. Vidar knew that Caine would never ask to be released from his duties to set off on his own. Charlie was right in thinking it had to come from them.
“We need to speak to him,‘ Vidar told her. She hummed in agreement.
‘I’m sorry,‘ she said. Charlie understood how much Caine meant to Vidar. She was one of the few people that had seen how strong the bond between the two men was. Vidar was happy he would have her to help him through all of it.
‘It’s okay, baby. I have waited for this for a long time. It’s just a little daunting to think about my life without having Caine by my side. Who am I going to trust your safety to?‘ he
wondered.
“To me, love. Liwei will make sure I can look after myself.”
“That was why you said it would be good for her to train you. You knew Cain wouldn’t be here
to do it,” Vidar realised.
‘Yes. And I think it will be good for me to be trained by another woman. We think differently
than men,” she said and Vidar could hear she meant it as a joke. He laughed and then tilted
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her head up so he could k*ss her.
“When do we talk to him?‘ Charlie asked.
‘Let’s let him recover fully first, then we will discuss it with him,‘ Vidar suggested. She nodded
and snuggled closer to him.
“I love you, Charlie and I am grateful that I have you in my life. I must have done something right for the gods to let you be imprinted to me,” he said out loud. He needed the words to be spoken. Maybe some of the old superstition about the power of words still lingered in him.
“I love you too, Vidar. The one thing I’m grateful to Millard for is that he made Tina cry which forced me to serve you that night,” she told him.
“His one redeeming action,” Vidar agreed. He stayed awake so he could listen to Charlie falling asleep. Her deep and peaceful breathing had always brought him peace. He listened to the other sounds in the apartment. Huxton and Tyson were asleep, as were the twins. Caine was moving around in his bedroom and Shadow was playing with a jingle ball. Soon it would just be Shadow, Charlie and him in the apartment. Vidar wondered when he had got so used to other people around him and that thought triggered a pang of loneliness in him. He took in Charlie’s scent and let it calm him. He had everything he needed right in his arms.